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Warning after surge in winter vomiting bug
Sophie Goodchild, Health and Social Affairs Correspondent10 Nov 2009
Londoners are being warned of a surge in cases of the winter vomiting bug.
Health officials today said the norovirus season was "under way" with 35 reported outbreaks in the past month.
The Health Protection Agency said schools, hospitals, care homes and nurseries had been worst hit by cases of diarrhoea and vomiting. Its experts warned the highly contagious stomach bug can lead to ward closures.
Figures released today show a worrying year-on-year rise in the illness. A total of 182 people were affected by norovirus in London last year, the highest figure in the capital since 2002 when there were 186 cases.
This comes as the NHS is under pressure from swine flu. Dr Rachel Heathcock, the HPA's south-east London director for communicable disease control, said: "There is no specific treatment for the illness. If you have winter vomiting you should rest at home and drink plenty of fluids. If diarrhoea and vomiting are very severe, you should seek medical advice.
"Personal hygiene must be good, particularly hand-washing. Anyone who is ill should not return to work or school until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped."
The NHS urged anyone with diarrhoea or vomiting not to go to A&E as this would put other patients at risk.
Dr Michelle Drage, chairman of the London-wide Local Medical Committees, said: "GPs are used to seeing norovirus activity increase in winter. The only unfamiliar circumstance is the swine flu vaccinations.
"Adding all these things up together, we can expect a pretty hectic time of it over the next couple of months."
More than 300 inmates at Wandsworth jail have already been hit by a suspected norovirus outbreak.
Reader views (1)
My little nephew caught it on his first week at nursery. He soon got over it, but after a visit to his Grandma's house, for a birthday bash, everyone who was there, except two people, went down with the bug too. I was one of the lucky ones who didn't get it.
As the article says, victims don't know whether to sit down with diarrhoea, or stand up and vomit. It seems to knock people out for two or three days.
- Mark H, London, England, 10/11/2009 13:40
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